Capers Chagrined

Looked through the threads here and didn't see this posted yet. Capers is doing a little whining. In the end though he just didn't produce a winning product.

CAPERS CHAGRINED BY KUBIAK'S SITUATION

In response to the news that Rick Smith will become the new G.M. of the Houston Texans, we're hearing that former Texans coach Dom Capers is lamenting the fact that his successor, Gary Kubiak, got to pick his own personnel guy.

Capers was hired after the team had put in place G.M. Charley Casserly, and Capers (rumor has it) wasn't always thrilled (to say the least) with the guys that Casserly added to the roster.

In our view, it's hard to feel bad for a guy who finished up his fourth season on the job by winning only two games, regardless of whether the G.M. was Casserly or Ron Wolf or Fran Foley. Capers had four full years to prove his worth, and in the end his performance helped to seal his fate.

Moreover, if Capers didn't like the direction of the personnel department, he should have forced the issue with owner Bob McNair, as more and more coaches have done over the past decade.

With that said, we can understand why Capers is feeling a little frustrated. Kubiak is getting far more juice as an unproven commodity than Capers received when he arrived four years ago with a solid and diverse resume. Capers took the expansion Panthers to the NFC title game in only their second season, and he enjoyed plenty of success as a defensive coordinator before and after his stint in Carolina. Kubiak has merely been the consistent lieutenant to a control freak in Denver.

Moreover, the appearance that McNair ultimately created in Houston was that Capers alone took the fall for the team's poor performance in its first four years of existence. Apparently concerned with the possibility that he'd be labeled a buffoon for hiring both Capers and Casserly if he fired both of them at or about the same time, McNair dumped Capers and then carried Casserly through the draft, allowing him to "resign" in a manner that, on the surface, saved face both for the organization and for Casserly.

As far as we can tell, the ruse worked. Most of the references we now see to Casserly include a statement that he resigned the position of G.M. in order to pursue a job in the league office, which strongly implies that he'd still be the G.M. of the Texans if he really wanted to be.

Folks who follow the league closely know otherwise. Casserly was definitely out after the draft. The only remaining question was whether he'd walk before getting run.

So we can understand Capers' situation. A little bit. In the end, though, it's hard to feel sorry for a guy who was in a position to improve his situation by better navigating the front-office politics in order to get the players he needed.

Capers has only one winning season in eight years as an NFL head coach. That record speaks for itself, IMO. Simply put, Capers is probably a good defensive coordinator, but he's a lousy heach coach.

When a 7-9 team flops to 2-14, I can't blame the GM. The 2005 Texans came out flat and uninspired, not ready to play professional football. It's not the GM in the lockeroom motivating players and working out schemes, it's the friggin' head coach.

In addition, the HC decided to keep an offensive coordinator that was obviously a wrong fit for the team (hence firing said coordinator just two games into a new season). I blame the head coach for that debacle, not the GM.

And it is a widely held belief that Casserly only obtained the players that the coaches wanted, so the 2-14 team was a direct reflection of Capers' choices.

I don't have any animosity towards the old coach, but the last thing I want to hear is any whining or complaints from him. Move on, Capers, and keep doing what you're doing...as long as it's not on my team!

To begin with I don't think I've seen anyone who's opinion I consider worth anything speak badly of Capers since he was fired. There are always going to be those fans who are ready to lynch the coach or any assistant, player, or front office person they perceive to be "the problem" but those people don't know squat.

The opinions I'm seeing that matter (to me at least) are all fairly consistent in hanging the blame on Capers for not doing something about the coaches under him. He was in a bad marriage to Chris Palmer from the start and never held Vic Fangio accountable for putting the kind of defense that Capers was known for on the field. Then he brought in the clearly incompetent Joe Pendry to take "Palmer type" offensive picks and run a "Capers type" offense. Dom did not manage the people who worked for him and so he lost his job. End of story IMO.

If Kubiak does something with many of these same players then in my mind the case will be closed. Dom Capers is a fine man and a great defensive coordinator but he is not winning head coach material.

Capers may still have a job if he had the juice to be able to fire his friends. Pendry and Fangio single handedly cost him his job. (This being the second time Pendry has cost Capers his job, first being Carolina.)

Capers' stuborness to continue playing a 34 D with personel that never fit. Never being able to develop the players he had. Carr, Babin, TJ, Wand all whos careers are in damage control. Gaffney never developed and was let find work else were, and Wells can't find a job.

It was Capers who said we had to have Greenwood, Walker, Babin, Pbuc, Wade. That is alot of money between those five that are no better than second stringers on any decent team.

He started Corey Bradford

He started Victor Riley over Wand and Pitts

He continued to let McKinney play center when clearly he is a guard
He lost the respect of his team in the very begining of last season. You could just tell. The very first play of the regular season Carr fumbles the football away to the Bills. The team quit on him b/c they knew Capers was unfitt to lead this team. Chris Brown shanks, and I am going to quote Shannon Sharp, "A 30 yard field goal 40 yards to the left." That is not like Chris Brown.

I will restate it, Capers didn't have the juice to fire his friends, make the tough decisions, and he started Victor Riley

The thing that bugged me the most about the Capers era was that we "NEVER" had a pass rush and that was his specialty. If he could not succeed at what he was best at how was he ever going to succeed at the areas where he was weakest....

Capers was hired after the team had put in place G.M. Charley Casserly, and Capers (rumor has it) wasn't always thrilled (to say the least) with the guys that Casserly added to the roster.

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Wow, this is an interesting quote. First, we have Casserly and his defenders that continue to spew about how Capers was the one messing everything up by forcing him to make horrible trades, waste draft picks, and over pay for average talent.

Now, we also have word from Capers and his folks that he was just working with the players that Casserly provided.

You cannot have it both ways. The fundamental flaw is that Casserly should have had the final say on all personal decisions regarding this team. The fact that the team has changed out more than half of the roster from last year tells everyone just how miserably Casserly failed.

I know! I used to think there was something wrong in the trainers' department or scouting department.

Although I would have to go back and compare the two to see what really was the worse... but I don't feel like it. I don't wanna.

The offensive line was shredded by week two ( I think ) last year, that was enough to scrape the bowline. Not that Capers didn't make mistakes, it's just that it is overblown to toss it all on him ( or his assistants,etc. ). If his team was perfectly healthy and he still finished with a 2-14 record, that's a little different. But I don't want to give the impression that I think Capers is an elite coach either, I could really care less if he was doing alright or bombing it. That office needed to change either way.

PS If I remember correctly the 2003 season had a lot secondary injuries.

Injuries are never an excuse for a bad season. That's why you have back-ups, that's why you have each team wants depth. The teams that make the playoffs and don't finish 2-14 are the teams that are prepared for injuries.

Injuries are never an excuse for a bad season. That's why you have back-ups, that's why you have each team wants depth. The teams that make the playoffs and don't finish 2-14 are the teams that are prepared for injuries.

I think you under estimate the effect of injuries on a football club. There are things like turf toe, the occasional out for three weeks, and then there are things like having to start three different centers in one game.

Wow, this is an interesting quote. First, we have Casserly and his defenders that continue to spew about how Capers was the one messing everything up by forcing him to make horrible trades, waste draft picks, and over pay for average talent.

Now, we also have word from Capers and his folks that he was just working with the players that Casserly provided.

You cannot have it both ways. The fundamental flaw is that Casserly should have had the final say on all personal decisions regarding this team. The fact that the team has changed out more than half of the roster from last year tells everyone just how miserably Casserly failed.

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"Ain't my fault. I didn't do it. Must have been that guy over there. No? Well ,what about that guy or maybe it was your fault. Mom, mom? Are you going to let that guy talk about me that way? It must be them 'cause it sure ain't my fault." Sheesh!

Capers without a doubt deserves a lot of the blame for losing the team, but Casserly needs an equal share in that. If you couldn't see our team being worse than 7-9 after losing Glenn, Sharper and getting Greenwood and P-Buc then you wouldn't get the fact that Casserly had a LOT to do with us going to 2-14. Before entering the 2005 season the writing was on the wall as to how our season was going to go considering the monumentally disasterous off-season in both free agency and the draft. The off-season transactions is where Casserly has the most influence and it was an utter fiasco going into the 2005 regular schedule. I can not fault Capers for the personnel given him cosidering Kubiak and his staff have pretty much gutted the team of bad players with more to come in the coming weeks. It's no coincidence that our off-season this year is pretty solid and Casserly hands have essentially been tied behind his back. It's no wonder he is not on the team anymore, no matter how sugar coated the offical party line is.

I know! I used to think there was something wrong in the trainers' department or scouting department.

Although I would have to go back and compare the two to see what really was the worse... but I don't feel like it. I don't wanna.

The offensive line was shredded by week two ( I think ) last year, that was enough to scrape the bowline. Not that Capers didn't make mistakes, it's just that it is overblown to toss it all on him ( or his assistants,etc. ). If his team was perfectly healthy and he still finished with a 2-14 record, that's a little different. But I don't want to give the impression that I think Capers is an elite coach either, I could really care less if he was doing alright or bombing it. That office needed to change either way.

PS If I remember correctly the 2003 season had a lot secondary injuries.

Click to expand...

Every team in the NFL has to deal with injuries and player turnover and that is a constant every year. The Pats won a SB with over 40 different player combinations during the year, including a secondary so depleated that a WR was playing as a DB. As Belicek said once when asked about injuries, they are a 'given, difference is how you deal with them. We expect to win, We won't accept excuses.' Under Capers, there was no such philosophy and some fans still make excuses for the Texans under Capers.

In my opinion , Capers had lost this team a year before the collapse we witnessed last season . Anyone remember the remarks that got Jamie Sharper run out of town ? (not that it didnt turn out to be the right move to release him) .... "We need a leader" ..... But the team as a whole didnt believe in Capers brand of football . Capers didnt play to win games , he played not to lose them . That more than anything else led to the 2-14 mark they put up last season .